04/09, 11:55pm

iBrowseTwo web browser

7sql has released iBrowseTwo for the iPhone and iPod touch, an application that enables users to have two websites displayed simultaneously on the screen. The two web pages are displayed together by a navigation bar that features a series of drag and swipe capabilities. Users can navigate the bar up and down and resize/maximize the web windows, double tap the address labels to refresh or stop the loading of pages, and swipe the address labels left and right to go backwards or forwards.

04/09, 11:40pm

College Romance Mac game

Tycoon Games has released a new dating game for the Mac, College Romance: Rise of the Little Brother. The game follows a person who has started their first year of school at the university their brother recently graduated from, and must to decide which of the four girls to try and have a relationship with. During the game players will have a chance to interact and date up to four different girls, Jules, Jessica who is Jules twin sister, Sarah, and Teri.

04/09, 10:55pm

Haptic tech in Nokia phone

Nokia is expected to use VibeTonz technology from Immersion in up to three upcoming touchscreen phones, adding evidence to rumors that the devices are set for release sometime this year, according to TheStreet. People familiar with the plan claim that the thin handsets will be available as early as this fall. The lineup might include the touch-only 'Ivalo,' a successor to the N97 but without the slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

04/09, 9:25pm

Apple shutters HomePage

Apple has announced that it will shut down its .Mac HomePage app and Groups as of July 7th. Users will no longer be able to create new pages or edit existing pages using the web-based tools, although content that is already published will remain at the current address until the customer's subscription expires. The company recommends that any changes should be made before the the service is terminated.

04/09, 8:40pm

Apple leads innovators

For the fifth year in a row, Apple has achieved the top spot in BusinessWeek's list of "The 25 Most Innovative Companies." The report was created in conjunction with Boston Consulting Group. Companies filling the other top-five spots include Google, Toyota, Microsoft and Nintendo. Several competitors hold lower positions, including IBM, HP, RIM, Nokia, Sony and Samsung.

04/09, 7:15pm

Microsoft skews Apple Tax

Microsoft has expanded its "Apple Tax" marketing campaign with a white paper (PDF) from analyst Roger Kay, although several of the price comparisons appear to be skewed. The company posted a mock up tax return showing the savings of purchasing two Windows systems compared with two Mac systems, suggesting that a family could save over $3,300. The price difference is derived from the initial cost of machines, future upgrades, software and services.

04/09, 7:00pm

TrackLayer 3.2 update

TrainPlayer Software has announced the newest version of its rail-operation simulator for the Mac, TrainPlayer-TrackLayer 3.2. Version 3.2 provides new layouts and simpler integration with the Track CAD program RailModeller that allows users to design a layout in and automatically convert it to a running TrainPlayer layout. The plan can then be used for a simulation after adding trains and beginning operations.

04/09, 6:00pm

DealNN: bargain storage

Today's DealNN deal of the day features the Cavalry CAXM-series 1TB external hard drive. The drive has been reduced from $386 to $114.99 at Buy.com, and until 4/22/09 a mail in rebate offer drops the final price down to $94.99. The 1TB hard drive is enclosed in a durable aluminum chassis that is claimed to offer superior heat dissipation.

04/09, 5:45pm

Folder Brander, TimeBoxed

BumperCar 2.2 ($30) is a web browser that has been designed with kids' safety in mind. Parents can set up various restrictions such as limiting the sharing of personal information and forcing Google to use "Safe Search" mode. The software offers simple "Low", "Medium" and "High" safety settings, as well as the ability to customize all of its features. The newest release introduces the latest version of Apple's WebKit engine for enhanced performance and increased security and also includes support for Flash 10. [Download - 16MB]

04/09, 5:35pm

Samsung DMFC prototype

Samsung SDI and Samsung Electronics on Thursday showed off a working prototype of their Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) at the Green Energy Expo. The cell is meant for military use, and is touted to power a soldier's electronic gear for up to 72 hours. The cell weighs 7.7lbs and is rated to provide 1,800Watt-hours of energy. It will be field-tested in 2010, and released for military use later that year if testing is successful.

04/09, 5:20pm

Trance at Verizon April 24

The Samsung Trance U490 handset is rumored to be released on provider Verizon on April 24th, BGRreported on Thursday. The mid-level slider will have audio specialist Bang & Olufsen's ICEpower hardware and related sound processing software, and will be capable of streaming music to two separate Bluetooth stereo connections simultaneously. The dual-band CDMA phone sports a 2.1-inch, 176x220 display and has a 1.3-megapixel camera. It has just 1GB of internal memory, but can be expanded via a microSD card slot.

04/09, 5:05pm

US iPhone support expands

American customer support for the iPhone is expanding, says TV network WRAL. Affiliated Computer Services has announced that it is hiring 600 new workers across the US, of which at least 240 people -- based at a center in Raleigh, North Carolina -- will be assigned to support the iPhone. Although pay is expected only to be "above minimum wage with benefits," training is scheduled to begin shortly, and the corporation is promising more money for its most profitable workers.

04/09, 4:25pm

Google Universal Make Vevo

Google and Universal Music have announced on Thursday that they will cooperate on the release of Vevo, a new music and video entertainment service that will launch later this year. According to a Thursday CNETinterview, the YouTube owner and the largest recording company will share all ad revenue, with YouTube handling the technical operation of the website while Universal provides the content.

04/09, 4:15pm

Hearts of Iron 3 on Mac

Mac versions of two Paradox strategy games have been announced, says publisher Virtual Programming. The first of these, Hearts of Iron III, is a real-time strategy title which is nevertheless based around a traditional boardgame-style map. Players control complete armies in the European theater of World War II, fighting as any one of the Allied or Axis powers. Over 10,000 territories are present, and players also have access to a diplomacy menu, showing relationships with other countries and alignment in terms of fascism, communism or democracy.

04/09, 3:50pm

Virgin $50 unlimited plan

Virgin Mobile on Thursday announced a new $50 Totally Unlimited Calling plan that would give subscribers unlimited and roaming-free calling throughout the USA. Virgin spokespeople are confirming the move comes in response to similar offers from competitors, including T-Mobile and Boost Mobile. Other contract-free providers, including MetroPCS and Leap, also offer unlimited plans that range from $35 to $50, though they are only offered in certain specific markets.

04/09, 3:45pm

FLO TV iPhone In Works

Qualcomm today revealed that it's developing an add-on that could give several smartphones, including the iPhone, a tuner for FLO TV digital broadcasts. The communications firm's FLO TV head Bill Stone remarks to SAI that iPhone OS 3.0's support for third-party hardware has set Qualcomm to developing an external receiver that could give both the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as other smartphones, access to the over-the-air TV service. When it would ship isn't yet certain, as is whether it would use the Dock Connector or else attach wirelessly.

04/09, 3:15pm

Unibody iPods in works?

Apple may be exploring the concept of a unibody iPod, a freshly-exposed patent application implies. Apple began incorporating unibody designs into its products in October of last year, with the introduction of new MacBooks and MacBook Pros. The production technology is said to make hardware lighter, thinner and sturdier, as a result of using tougher material and fewer parts.

04/09, 2:45pm

Foxconn hires e-book staff

Foxconn Electronics, the manufacturer of Amazon's Kindle e-book reader lines, may be planning to develop its own e-book reader. According to a Thursday DigiTimesreport pointing to industry sources, Foxconn has recently hired a few software technicians with e-book programming experience. Foxconn has not responded to inquiries regarding the report.

04/09, 2:40pm

Intel CULV Apr 20 Launch

Intel is poised to launch its first Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) processors on April 20th but won't necessarily include shipping hardware, an insider leak would claim. The Inquirer claims that the formal introduction will be a "paper" or soft launch, where the actual products won't be available until sometime after the public debut. When the products would be readily available isn't known, though Acer just recently launched its Timeline ultraportables with a near-term launch in its plans.

04/09, 1:45pm

Samsung digital frames

Samsung has recently introduced a pair of digital Touch of Color photo frames that can also act as secondary displays via their USB connections with PCs. The 8-inch SPF-87H has a resolution of 800x480 and is just 0.9-inches thick. It has 1GB of internal memory, a built-in battery that is rechargeable via the supplied AC adapter or USB connection and a multicard reader. Other basic features include a clock mode and slideshow feature.

04/09, 1:40pm

T-Mobile Event April 21st

T-Mobile at mid-day announced a special event for April 21st in New York City. The company provides no other details and, unlike previous invitations, doesn't hint as to the general direction of the gathering. The last event held by the company in this manner was in September of last year, when the company introduced the G1 as the world's first Android phone.

04/09, 1:00pm

TextSpeech Pro 3.2.1

Digital Future has launched TextSpeech Pro 3.2.1, an update to its text-to-speech software. Designed for multitaskers, people with disabilities and professional industries, the program converts text from any Word, PDF, Excel or RTF document into a computerized voice. Version 3.2.1 is said to be a major update with several added functions, and extensions of current ones, though unspecified.

04/09, 1:00pm

Sony confirms Google talks

Sony has confirmed this week's earlier rumors that it is engaged in talks with YouTube on posting full-length movies on the free video service site, Bloombergreported on Thursday. If the deal goes through, it would see the first major US studio to do so on a large scale, and the full-length films would be offered for viewing for free, likely supported by ad sales in the stream.

04/09, 12:40pm

Nintendo on DSi sales

The DSi gaming handheld has done very well in its post-Japanese launches, Nintendo claims. Despite having debuted in Europe and the US on April 5th, a Sunday, some 300,000 DSis were sold in the two regions during the first two days of availability. Nintendo has also revealed some of the non-gaming apps coming to the platform, which should include tour guides, museum maps and a coupon recorder.

04/09, 11:55am

Hitachi ultra-thin HDTVs

Hitachi Japan recently announced the upcoming release of no less than 11 new HDTV models in two series, including four LCDs in the Wooo UT800 series as well as four plasmas and three LCDs in the Wooo 03 range. The ultra-thin UT800 LCDs are all about 1.4 inches thick and all sport 1080p resolutions. Their thin profile is achieved thanks to the use of Ultra Wideband wireless tuner boxes, called Wooo Stations, that sit away from the HDTVs. Apart from dual tuners, the Wooo Stations also house a 250GB hard disk drive, an iVDR-S slot for removable DVR recordings and an SDHC memory card slot. They are available in 32-, 37-, 42- and 47-inch sizes.

04/09, 11:55am

Credit Suisse ups AAPL

The worth of Apple stocks rose more than $3 on Thursday morning, following the release of a new Credit Suisse report boosting estimates on Apple performance. Analyst Bill Shope has risen his price target for Apple stock from $120 to $133, based on March-quarter Mac and iPhone sales which he argues did better than originally envisioned. Revenue for the period is expected to be $7.76 billion, with an EPS of $1.09; Shope's had previously suggested $7.44 billion in revenue and $0.97 in EPS.

04/09, 11:30am

Bluetooth 3 Spec In Weeks

The Bluetooth SIG today provided early details of the Bluetooth 3.0 spec ahead of a full formal launch. The new format should provide a jump in bandwidth that gives it speed roughly equivalent to common Wi-Fi, or several times the 3Mbps speed of Bluetooth 2.0. Transfers will be quick enough to let songs arrive "within seconds," according to the group. It will also serve as a unique way of establishing one-on-one Wi-Fi connnections: a hand-off mode will use Bluetooth to auto-discover other nearby devices and switch to a direct Wi-Fi link as long as both devices have Wi-Fi as an option.

04/09, 11:05am

iChat videomail patent

Apple may continue to have an interest in automatic audio or video replies within iChat, a newly-published patent application hints. Under the Apple technology, people away from their computers or simply busy could instruct iChat to play a prerecorded audio or video message to anyone attempting chat. The length of each message could be used-defined.

04/09, 10:50am

HTC Touch Diamond at VZW

Verizon on Thursday became one of the later carriers to pick up the HTC Touch Diamond. The new version has a slightly customized TouchFLO interface but also brings support for the carrier's Visual Voice Mail and using its VZ Navigator service with the built-in GPS mapping. It continues to draw on the same 640x480 touchscreen, 3G and Wi-Fi as the stock CDMA version already in use at Bell, Sprint and Telus in North America.

04/09, 10:25am

iColor, Power Search

Trumpet Improv ($1) is a trumpet simulator that takes advantage of some of the iPhone's unique abilities. The trumpet is activated by blowing into the microphone and holding down different fingers on the virtual valves. The pitch can then be changed by tilting the device up or down and vibrato can be added by rubbing back and forth over the valves instead of using a solid hold.

04/09, 10:20am

Dell XPS 630 Liquid Cooled

Dell today extended its more exotic cooling options to the XPS 625 and XPS 630. The two now have the option of replacing their fan-based cooling with an Asetek liquid cooling system that reduces the noise of the system while simultaneously increasing the possibilities for overclocking the main processor. Choosing the option is deemed particularly useful for all of the XPS 625 line as well as custom-ordered versions of the 630, as both AMD's Black Edition chips and Intel's Core 2 Extreme are unlocked and allow easier speed boosts out of the factory.

04/09, 10:05am

Plantronics teaser site

Bluetooth headset maker Plantronics has put up a teaser web page that features close-cropped, high-resolution photos of an unannounced Bluetooth headset from the company. There is purposely no specific information on the device, but Plantronics did include some details as to its manufacturing process. The site is apparently updated with new photos roughly two times per week. A release date for the headset is likewise unknown, and neither is its price, but judging from the attention to detail visible in the photos, it will likely be a premium offering.

04/09, 9:55am

France Rebuffs Piracy Law

France's National Assembly on Thursday voted down a proposed law that would have required Internet providers cut off subscribers after three detected instances of pirating music or videos. The decision was made through an unusual 21-15 vote after the majority of the Assembly's 577 representatives avoided the session. The French administration hasn't commented on the rejection other than to say a modified version is due within a few weeks.

04/09, 9:35am

Apple sued over touch tech

Apple is facing a lawsuit over its increasingly central touch technology, Reuters writes. A Taiwanese chip design firm, Elan Microelectronics, has accused Apple of violating two touchscreen patents, said to be used in the displays of the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as the trackpads utilized in modern MacBooks. Elan claims to have successfully sued another company, Synaptics, for similar reasons.

04/09, 9:05am

Moxi DVR Media Streaming

Digeo on Thursday rolled out an update to its Moxi HD DVR that significantly expands its role as a media hub. The new version adds DLNA support to stream music, photos and videos from nearby PCs and other devices on the local network, such as PlayStation 3s. It also takes advantage of new paid software from PlayOn that will push web video from Hulu, Netflix and other sites from a PC to the Moxi without needing to visit the web.

04/09, 8:25am

LG Sells 2m Cookie Phones

LG touched a milestone today by revealing that it has sold 2 million of its Cookie touchscreen phones in the 5 months since the phone launched last October. The majority, or 1.2 million of these, were sold in Europe; 600,000 of these were sold in most of Asia and South America. LG also trumpets that the Cookie is the best-selling phone in Korea and has sold 100,000 of the handset in its home country, with as many as 4,500 trading hands in a single day.

04/09, 7:45am

Apple 100m Flash Order

Apple is causing a supply crunch due to a large, mystery order for NAND flash memory, leaks from "downstream suppliers" say. DigiTimes hears that the company has placed an order for 100 million 8Gb (1GB) chips from Samsung and is reportedly spurring a supply shortage. Combined with orders from Nokia and Sony, the demand may leave little for other customers until "at least" the end of May.

04/09, 12:20am

Merlin for iPhone, update

ProjectWizards has announced a mobile version of its Merlin application for the iPhone/iPod touch, and the release of Merlin 2.7 beta. Merlin is a professional project-management application that provides tools to help users view, search, and store their projects, and lets users host a file on the network or internet to be shared with other Merlin users. The iPhone version gives people online access to Merlin projects via WLAN, EDGE and UMTS, and the ability to view all activities, resources and elements. Users can attach photos as file elements, or view their projects in a specialized Gantt chart.